Production Planner

Pale Blue Dot®Recruitment Limited; Leinster; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company performance bonus

Pension

Life insurance

Cycle-to-work scheme

39-hour week

Job summary

Pale Blue Dot®Recruitment Limited is assisting an established precision engineering company in Co. Louth to recruit a Production Planner. You will own and maintain the production plan based on demand, material availability and capacity, using Excel as the primary planning tool.

Reporting to the Production Manager, you will collaborate with Production, Customer Service, Procurement and Engineering to balance priorities, generate schedules and highlight variances.

Qualifications

• Advanced Excel skills with ability to manage detailed, changing data.
• Strong attention to detail and data accuracy.
• Experience in production planning, scheduling, master data or supply chain coordination.
• Experience in a manufacturing environment preferred.
• Ability to translate demand and inventory information into a practical plan.
• Strong communication and influencing skills to manage competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Develop monthly production plans based on forecasts, orders and capacity.
• Create and update detailed weekly production schedules in Excel.
• Monitor progress and variances against the plan.
• Ensure plans reflect demand, material pipelines and current activity.
• Communicate delays and constraints to the Production Manager and Head of Operations.
• Collaborate with Customer Service, Procurement, Production and Engineering to prioritise and resolve scheduling issues.
• Support urgent orders, prototypes and changing production requirements.
• Develop inventory plans and ensure materials are available.
• Generate purchase requisitions aligned with production needs.
• Coordinate with Procurement on lead times and availability.
• Maintain planning KPIs and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to future development of the planning process.

Skills

Advanced Excel skills

Attention to detail

Communication and influencing skills

Organisational and time management

Analytical ability

ERP systems experience

Education

Degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations or related discipline

Tools

Epicor ERP

Job description

Our client is an established precision engineering company supplying highly regulated sectors, including Medical Devices, Aerospace and Electronics. Operating from a modern manufacturing facility in Co. Louth, the company provides fully integrated component solutions to customers in Ireland and internationally.

They are now seeking a Production Planner to take responsibility for maintaining an accurate and dependable production plan across customer demand, material availability and manufacturing capacity.

The Role

Reporting to the Production Manager, you will create and continuously maintain the company’s production plan. The planning system is currently managed through Microsoft Excel rather than dedicated planning software. This is therefore a detailed, hands‑on position requiring advanced Excel capability, strong numerical accuracy and the discipline to keep the plan fully updated as production activity, material availability and customer requirements change.

You will work closely with Production, Customer Service, Procurement and Engineering, balancing competing priorities and ensuring that key stakeholders have reliable, up‑to‑date planning information.

Responsibilities

• Develop monthly production plans based on customer forecasts, orders and operational capacity.
• Create and continuously update detailed weekly production schedules using Microsoft Excel.
• Monitor production progress and identify variances against the agreed plan.
• Ensure the production plan accurately reflects customer demand, material pipelines and current manufacturing activity.
• Communicate potential delays, capacity constraints and production bottlenecks to the Production Manager and Head of Operations.
• Liaise with Customer Service, Procurement, Production and Engineering to agree priorities and resolve scheduling issues.
• Support urgent customer orders, prototypes and changing production requirements.
• Develop inventory plans and help ensure materials are available when required.
• Generate purchase requisitions in line with production requirements.
• Coordinate with Procurement regarding supplier lead times and component availability.
• Maintain relevant planning KPIs and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to the future development and improvement of the planning process.

What We’re Looking For

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience working with detailed, frequently changing data.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a strong commitment to data accuracy.
• Experience in production planning, scheduling, master data, supply chain coordination or another closely related role.
• Previous experience within a manufacturing environment is strongly preferred.
• The ability to interpret demand, inventory and production information and translate it into a practical plan.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to manage competing departmental priorities.
• Excellent organisation, time management and analytical ability.
• Experience using an ERP system would be beneficial; Epicor experience would be particularly advantageous.
• A qualification in Business, Supply Chain, Operations or a related discipline would be desirable.

Candidates with strong manufacturing, scheduling or master-data experience will also be considered where they can demonstrate the Excel capability and analytical skills required to manage a detailed production plan.

Package

• Salary of €45,000–€50,000, depending on experience
• Company performance bonus
• Pension
• Life insurance
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• 39‑hour working week

This is an excellent opportunity for an analytical and highly organized individual who enjoys working with detailed information and wants to play a central role in the performance of a busy manufacturing operation.